System and method for providing preview results for search systems integrating multiple collections

ABSTRACT

A system and method for providing previews of search results and, more particularly, to a system and method for providing preview results for search systems integrating multiple collections. The method includes providing search results associated with a first collection based on at least one search term and providing a customizable preview of search results for the at least one search term. The customizable preview of search results is associated with at least a second collection different from the first collection.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to a system and method for providingpreviews of search results and, more particularly, to a system andmethod for providing previews of search results for search systemsintegrating multiple collections.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to findinformation stored on a computer system, such as on the World Wide Webor inside a corporate or proprietary network. The search engine allows auser to search for content meeting specific criteria (e.g., typicallycontaining a given word or phrase) and retrieves a list of items thatmatch the criteria. This list is often sorted with respect to somemeasure of relevance of the results.

Major search engines rarely focus on a single data type, though. Forexample, Internet search engines offer searches for Web pages, as wellas the ability to search for images, groups, news, shopping, videos,people, and many other categories. These different categories ofinformation are referred to as “collections.” Frequently, the controloffered to the user to specify what collection to search is a listing oflinks or tabs provided near the text field for entering text searchablewords.

By providing the ability to search a host of collections, the user isempowered to locate a greater body of information from a single site.However, the common implementation selecting which collection to searchhas its shortcomings. For example, at times, the user may forget whatcollection they are currently searching, and fail to find the targetmaterials, as they are stored in another collection. Illustratively, itis not uncommon that a user wanting to find an article struggles withthe task because the user was searching a “book” collection rather thanan “article” collection. Other times, the user might believe whichcollection to search, but the answer is stored in another collection.

Also, when seeking an abstract piece of information, it may not beevident which collection the user needs to search. For example, a usermay want to know the status of a tax law that was being debated by theU.S. Congress. The user might search the World Wide Web and find a pageon tax law that has not been updated and, as such, the user may wronglyconclude that the law had not passed. Yet, if the user searched “Video”or “Audio” collections, the user may have found a broadcast thatindicates the law did pass, or if they had searched the “News”collection they may have found an article describing the passing of thelaw.

Search engines have been grappling with such problems for a long time.One solution proposed is to allow the user to select searchablecollections in order to obtain a full listing of all results for eachcollection. However, there is pressure on the user to decide whatcollection(s) they need to search. Furthermore, this can lead to theopposite problem: an overload of results that the critical result getslost in the voluminous search results.

Another solution is to provide reminders to the user in the searchresults area. This solution does provide the user with a reminder thatthe information they need may be found in one of the collections notsearched. But there are a number of limitations/problems with thissolution. For example, the system is almost behaving as if the resultsfrom the other collection are more important than the collection theuser opted to search. That is, the user's primary search results arepushed down in favor of supplying results from a collection the user didnot specifically search (e.g., News).

Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficienciesand limitations described hereinabove.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect of the invention, a method comprises providing searchresults associated with a first collection based on at least one searchterm, and providing a customizable preview of search results for the atleast one search term. The customizable preview of search results isassociated with at least a second collection different from the firstcollection.

In a second aspect of the invention, the method comprises providing apreview of search results. The method comprises providing a computerinfrastructure operable to: obtain a full listing of search results fora searchable collection; display the full listing of the search results;obtain a preview listing of search results for at least one differentsearchable collection; and display the preview listing of the searchresults on a portion of a same display as the full listing of the searchresults.

In another aspect of the invention, a system has a hardware componentand/or a software component. The hardware component and/or the softwarecomponent are operable to provide a listing of search results for afirst requested collection and a customizable preview listing of searchresults for at least a second requested collection. The preview listingis a subset of a full listing of search results for the second requestedcollection.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a computer infrastructure has acomputer readable medium having a computer program executable toprovide: search results associated with a first collection based on atleast one search term; and a customizable preview of search results forthe search term. The customizable preview of the search results isassociated with at least a second collection different from the firstcollection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in the detailed description whichfollows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment for implementing the processesin accordance with the invention;

FIGS. 2a-2c are exemplary graphical interfaces showing the processes forimplementing aspects of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows controls for customizing preview search results inaccordance with an aspect of the invention; and

FIGS. 4a-4s are graphical interfaces showing examples of implementingaspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to a system and method for providing apreview of search results and, more particularly, to a system and methodfor providing a list of preview search results for systems integratingmultiple collections. By using the system and method of the invention itis possible to provide a preview of search results across collectionswith a single search. The present invention also eliminates any pressureon the user to decide what collection to search, while also notinterrupting the user during a review of the search results for thesearch they deliberately performed. Additionally, it is now possible forthe user to target collections of interest during the search, which canbe customized to a user's preference. The invention can be used over anydistributed network, for example, as discussed in more detail below.

Overview of the Invention

The system and method of the invention provides enhancements to knownsearch engines and their capabilities. In one embodiment, the user mayselect a main collection to search. The user may then select any numberof options for previewing search results in other, secondarycollections. By way of example, the user may select a main collection of“Blogs” and secondary collections “News”, “Images”, and “Videos”. As afurther option, the user may select a number of results for eachsecondary collection to be viewed, e.g., three search results for eachselected collection, an order of the secondary collections, etc. Asfurther discussed below, the user can customize the preview in numerousother ways. The user can then begin a search by providing a search termin the required search field.

Once the search term is entered, the search engine, in a conventionalmanner, will search the main collection and the other secondary selectedcollections. Once the search is completed, the search results associatedwith the main selected collection will be displayed on a main portion ofthe display. Concurrently, a customizable preview of search results or alist thereof will be displayed on the display for the same search. Thecustomizable preview search will provide search results for the othersecondary selected collections, which is different than the mainselected collection.

The customizable preview is a subset of a search result for the othersecondary selected collections. In embodiments, the customizable previewsearch result is expandable to a full search result for the otherselected collections. This expansion may be accomplished by simplyselecting a hyperlink or icon, button, etc., associated with any of theother selected collections. Similarly, each of the search results in theselected collections may be expanded, e.g., opened, in order to view thesearch result, contracted or completely eliminated. The former optionmay be accomplished by selecting an appropriate hyperlink to view thesearch result. It should be understood that the other selectedcollections could be two or more collections each of which are definedand/or customizable by the user. The requested collections can bepredefined collections on an existing search engine searching forresults on the World Wide Web.

Accordingly, the system and method of the invention provides thefollowing advantages, amongst others:

-   -   The previews provide reminders that there are other collections        available for searching. The previews are also a subtle reminder        on which collection the user did search, reducing the chance        that the user will fail because they are searching the wrong        collection.    -   The previews provide users some results from other collections,        which may eliminate the need to actively search the other        collections. That is, the user may obtain the other collection        result they need, and are essentially performing        multi-collection searches without taking special action.    -   The previews are placed such that they are a minimal distraction        to users who want to focus on their primary search (e.g., the        preview sections could be placed on the left for countries where        users most often read from right to left or vice versa).    -   The previews are under the user's control, rather than under        system control. Users who do not want the previews at all can        remove them. Users with special interests can choose which        previews appear, and in a specific order.

The previews may be provided by a service provider on a fee orsubscription basis. By example, the service provider may obtainadvertisement fees for the services provided. The service provider maysupport, maintain, deploy and/or create an infrastructure to perform theabove processes.

System Environment

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment 10 for managing the processesin accordance with the invention. The environment 10 includes a computerinfrastructure 12 that can perform the processes described herein. Inparticular, the computer infrastructure 12 includes a computing device14 that comprises a management system 30. The management system 30 makescomputing device 14 operable to allow users to obtain preview searchresults (e.g., list of preview results) for any number of collections,in conjunction with search results for a main collection selected by theuser.

The obtained collections for the preview list (also referred to aspreviews) can be selected by the user and can include numerous types ofcustomizable options. By way of example, the options may include anynumber of existing collections to search (already defined in a searchengine, searching the World Wide Web), as well as custom searches,number of search results for each collection, etc. The search resultsand previews may be provided or displayed on the same user interface,with hyperlinks to each of the collections selected in the preview list.In this manner, management system 30 enhances known search engines,allowing the existing search engines to provide results of manydifferent collections, some of which will be provided in the previewlist.

The computing device 14 includes a processor 20, a memory 22A, aninput/output (I/O) interface 24, a bus 26 and a user interface 32. Theuser interface 32 enables the user to search, locate, open and read anyof the search results in the preview list, as well as the main searchcollection. In embodiments, user interface 32 will display the previewlist in the same display as the main search results, and can eveninclude a visual cue of the preview list. The visual cue may be, forexample, a highlighted section of the display, different font types,etc., to name some examples.

The memory 22A can include local memory employed during actual executionof program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which providetemporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce thenumber of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage duringexecution. Further, the computing device 14 is in communication with anexternal I/O device/resource 28 and a storage system 22B. The externalI/O device/resource 28 may be keyboards, displays, pointing devices,etc.

The processor 20 executes computer program code, which is stored inmemory 22A and/or storage system 22B. While executing computer programcode, processor 20 can read and/or write data to/from memory 22A,storage system 22B, and/or I/O interface 24. The computer program codeis configured to execute the processes described herein. The bus 26provides a communications link between each of the components incomputing device 14. The I/O device 28 can comprise any device thatenables an individual to interact with computing device 14 and/or anydevice that enables computing device 14 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices using any type of communications link. Thus,computing device 14 shown in FIG. 1 may be provided on any distributednetwork.

The computing device 14 can comprise any general purpose-computingarticle of manufacture capable of executing computer program codeinstalled thereon (e.g., a personal computer, server, handheld device,etc.). For the purposes of this description, the article of manufacturecan be a computer-usable or computer readable medium that can contain,store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or inconnection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or apropagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable medium include asemiconductor or solid-state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computerdiskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), arigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples of opticaldisks include compact disk—read only memory (CD-ROM), compactdisk—read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

It is understood that the computing device 14 is only representative ofvarious possible equivalent-computing devices that may perform theprocesses described herein. To this extent, in embodiments, thefunctionality provided by computing device 14 can be implemented by acomputing article of manufacture that includes any combination ofgeneral and/or specific purpose hardware and/or computer program code.In each embodiment, the program code and hardware can be created usingstandard programming and engineering techniques, respectively.

Similarly, computer infrastructure 12 is only illustrative of varioustypes of computer infrastructures for implementing the invention. Forexample, in embodiments, computer infrastructure 12 comprises two ormore computing devices (e.g., a server cluster) that communicate overany type of communications link, such as a network, a shared memory, orthe like, to perform the process described herein. Further, whileperforming the processes described herein, one or more computing devicesin computer infrastructure 12 can communicate with one or more othercomputing devices external to computer infrastructure 12 using any typeof communications link. The communications link can comprise anycombination of wired and/or wireless links; any combination of one ormore types of networks (e.g., the Internet, a wide area network, a localarea network, a virtual private network, etc.); and/or utilize anycombination of transmission techniques and protocols.

In embodiments, the invention provides a business method that performsthe processes of the invention on a subscription, advertising, and/orfee basis. That is, a service provider, such as a Solution Integrator,could offer to perform the processes described herein. In this case, theservice provider can create, maintain, deploy, support, etc., a computerinfrastructure that performs the process steps of the invention for oneor more customers. In return, the service provider can receive paymentfrom the customer(s) under a subscription and/or fee agreement and/orthe service provider can receive payment from the sale of advertisingcontent to one or more third parties.

Illustrative Embodiments of the Invention

FIGS. 2a and 2b show displays according to one aspect of the invention.More specifically, FIG. 2a shows the IBM® w3™ Search Engine, with a mainsearch result. (IBM is a registered trademark of International BusinessMachines Corp. in the United States, other countries, or both. w3 is atrademark of IBM.) It should be understood though that the system andmethod of the present invention may be integrated into any known searchengine display and, as such, FIG. 2a may be representative of any searchengine display. In this interface, the search engine includes theability to search different collections, represented by tabs 200 (e.g.,BluePages™, IBM Web pages, Forums/Blogs/Wikis, and News). (Bluepages isa trademark of International Business Machines.) In the presentillustrative example, the user has selected to search “IBM Web pages”for items related to “idp”. As shown, the central search area shows IBMWeb page results 210.

As shown in FIG. 2b , a sidebar displays other secondary collections(e.g., BluePages and News) as a preview list 220, with a link 220 a toaccess the full results from each collection. In this illustrativeexample, the link 220 a allows the user to navigate to a search resultscreen providing all results for the respective collection. In thismanner, the user is provided with top-level results from the othercollections from a single search, without pushing down the searchresults for the collection that was deliberately searched.

In the example of FIG. 2b , BluePages is an employee directory, whichdisplays the name of an employee as a link 220 b, with the user's jobrole and picture. Similarly, the “News” results preview shows an articletitle as link 220 c with the date of publication as a description. Itshould be understood by those of skill in the art that other informationmay also be provided with the search results, and that FIG. 2b showsonly one illustrative example.

As shown in FIG. 2c , in embodiments, the user interface is configuredto dedicate a portion of the interface to display the preview results asa sidebar. In the current implementation, a right-hand column isdedicated to providing the sidebar of previews. However, otherplacements are also contemplated by the invention (e.g., top, bottom,and left). The right side is recommended (at least for westerncultures), as it is non-disruptive to the core search results, whilestill being clearly displayed. This space would be reserved for thisfunction on all searches, unless the user makes customization changes,as described in detail below.

In further embodiments, the preview list 220 may be provided with avisual cue such as, for example, colored title bars with the intent toensure that the panes are clearly labeled, grouped, and readilydistinguished from one another. Also, as should be understood by thoseof skill in the art, the titles generally match the preview resultcollection, with the results varying somewhat based upon the collectionthat is searched.

The user interface includes user customization controls for customizingthe previews. In one contemplated implementation, the interface includesa link 230 (e.g., “edit settings”’ link) on the search results page inorder to gain access to the customization controls. (See, FIGS. 2a and2c .) However, those of skill in the art should understand that thecustomization controls could also be placed directly on the previewpanes or in many other locations on the display.

FIG. 3 shows controls for customizing the preview search results. Thecontrols of FIG. 3 may be implemented in any combination for any search,as designed by a search developer. More specifically, in onecontemplated implementation, the controls 300 include a number ofpreferences providing, but not limited to, the following abilities:

-   -   Remove or show the dedicated screen space for previews by        selecting “show sidebar” 310.    -   Position each preview pane in a certain sequence by selecting        the respective up and down arrows 320.    -   Remove panes by selecting the “X” button 330.    -   Add panes by selecting the “Add sidebar module . . . ” button        340. (The “Add sidebar module . . . ” button 340 is disabled        when no other panes are available to be added.)

Also, although the current implementation includes the above controls,an AJAX implementation where the user drags and drops the panes to adesired location is also contemplated by the present invention. AJAXcould also enable asynchronous loading of the preview panes (relative tothe main search results). AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is adevelopment technique for creating interactive web applications. Theintent is to make web pages feel more responsive by exchanging smallamounts of data with the server behind the scenes, so that the entireweb page does not have to be reloaded each time the user requests achange. This is intended to increase the web page's interactivity,speed, and usability. The above options can be easily implemented usingcommon HTML and CSS coding techniques.

In addition to providing previews for other collections, the system andmethod of the invention also accommodates “specialized” searches. Forexample, the w3 Search (or other integrated search engines) can offerresults from “bookmarked” pages. This type of collection search is aspecial focused search that provides high-quality results (e.g., sincethese pages have been judged worthy enough by others to be bookmarked).In addition, as discussed in more detail below, the “specialized” searchcan be expanded by enabling users to define their own previewcollections (e.g., indicating preview results from a certain site).

Illustrative Example

FIGS. 4a-4s are illustrative examples implementing processes of theinvention, which may be implemented in the environment of FIG. 1. Theprocesses of FIGS. 4a-4s may be implemented and executed from either aserver, in a client server relationship, or they may run on a userworkstation. Additionally, the invention can be implemented in anentirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or anembodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In anembodiment, the invention is implemented in software, which includes butis not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.Furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer programproduct accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable mediumproviding program code for use by or in connection with a computer orany instruction execution system, as discussed above.

In FIG. 4a , the user has performed a search on “IBM”. In this example,the user decides to customize the sidebar (e.g., delete sidebar). To doso, the user selects the edit settings link. After selecting the editsettings, the user is taken to the edit settings page of FIG. 4b . Here,the user unchecked the “Show sidebar” option. Next, the user selectsSubmit in FIG. 4c . As shown in FIG. 4d , the preview side bar has nowbeen deleted.

Still referring to FIG. 4d , the user now decides to bring the sidebarback. To do so, the user again selects the edit settings. The editsettings page opens (FIG. 4e ). The user checks “Show sidebar” andclicks submit. As shown in FIG. 4f , the sidebar is back on the resultspage.

Still referring to FIG. 4f , the user decides to remove the “BluePages”preview. To do so, the user selects the edit settings of FIG. 4f . Theedit settings page opens as shown in FIG. 4g . The user selects the “X”button on the BluePages preview row. The BluePages row disappears fromthe table as shown in FIG. 4h , and the user now selects “Submit”. Asshown in FIG. 4i , the BluePages preview has now been removed from theresults page.

Still referring to FIG. 4i , the user decides to add the BluePagespreview, and accordingly selects the edit settings. As shown in FIG. 4j, the user selects the “BluePages” preview checkbox and then clicks“Submit”. This page may also include a free form text box to select auser-defined category, as discussed below. As shown by FIG. 4k , theuser is taken back to the edit settings screen, where BluePages nowappears as a row in the table. The user can simply select “Submit”,which show the results screen of FIG. 4l , now showing that theBluePages module has been added.

Still referring to FIG. 4l , the user decides to relocate or move theBluePages item as the second listed item. To do so, the user selects theedit settings. As shown in FIG. 4m , the edit settings page opens andthe user selects the “up arrow” button. After selecting the up arrow,the table of FIG. 4n shows Bluepages™ as the second item in the list.The user then selects the “Submit” button. The results page displays,with BluePages now as the second item in the list (FIG. 4o ).

Next, the user decides to add a module that previews results from one ofthe user's favorite sites, e.g., the IBM Collaboration site. The userselects the edit settings at which time the edit settings page of FIG.4p is displayed. The user selects the “Add sidebar module . . . ”, whichopens the add page of FIG. 4q . The user selects the option for a sitesearch, types in the name of the site, the URL of the site, and submits.The text box can be fully text editable thus allowing the user to definemany different types of collections. As shown in FIG. 4r , the IBMcollaboration site now appears as a row in the table. The user submitsthis request, which appears on the results page of FIG. 4 s.

Thus, in embodiments, the invention can be a system having at least oneof a hardware component and a software component. The hardware componentand the software component are each operable of providing a listing ofsearch results for a first requested collection and a customizablepreview listing of search results for at least a second requestedcollection. The preview listing is a subset of a full listing of searchresults for the at least second requested collection. The hardwarecomponent and the software component is maintained by a service providerand the search results for the first requested collection and thecustomizable preview listing of the search results for the at least thesecond requested collection is provided to a user based on advertisementrevenue. The search results for the first requested collection and thecustomizable preview listing of the search results are search resultsprovided from a searchable database on the World Wide Web.

While the invention has been described in terms of embodiments, thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practicedwith modifications and in the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: providing search results in a first dedicated screen space of a user interface and associated with a first collection based on at least one search term; providing a separate customizable preview of search results based on the at least one search term in a separate pane located in a second dedicated screen space of the user interface and associated with at least one second collection which is different from the first collection; and providing options to a user to customize the second dedicated screen space and the separate pane through an editing settings link in the user interface that is configured to provide customization controls which: allow the user to remove the separate pane in the second dedicated screen space; order the separate pane with at least one other customizable preview pane in the second dedicated screen space; and allow the user to add another pane in the second dedicated screen space which includes the at least one second collection to be any web site that the user inputs through a text editable box in an add sidebar module, wherein the options presented to the user for customizing the second dedicated screen space and the separate pane further include using the editing settings link to remove a sidebar within the second dedicated screen space.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customizable preview of search results is a subset of a search result for the at least one second collection by providing no more than three search results.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the customizable preview of search results is expandable to a full search result for the at least one second collection by selecting a hyperlink associated with the at least one second collection.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the customizable preview of search results includes user-defined collections.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least second collection is at least two or more collections each of which are preexisting collections for a search engine searching for results on the World Wide Web.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second collection is a predefined searchable collection on the World Wide Web.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the customizable preview of search results is displayed on a side of a same graphical interface as the search results.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the options presented to the user for customizing the second dedicated screen space and the separate pane further include using the editing settings link to modify content of the separate pane by selecting or deselecting association of any one of a plurality of collections with the separate pane different from the first collection.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the options presented to the user for customizing the second dedicated screen space and the separate pane further include using the editing settings link to: provide for the at least one other customizable preview pane within the second dedicated screen space; modify content of the at least one other customizable preview pane by selecting or deselecting association of at least one third collection with the at least one other customizable preview pane; and position each preview pane in a certain sequence within the second dedicated screen space.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the customizable preview of search results includes at least one search result for the at least one second collection.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the customizable preview of search results is obtained from a searchable database.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the customizable preview of search results includes providing hyperlinks to individual searchable results in the customizable preview of search results.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the customizable preview of search results includes providing hyperlinks to the at least one second collection.
 14. A method comprising: providing search results in a first dedicated screen space of a user interface and associated with a first collection based on at least one search term; providing a separate customizable preview of search results based on the at least one search term in a separate pane located in a second dedicated screen space of the user interface and associated with at least one second collection which is different from the first collection; and providing options to a user to customize the second dedicated screen space and the separate pane through an editing settings link in the user interface that is configured to provide customization controls which: allow the user to remove the separate pane in the second dedicated screen space; order the separate pane with at least one other customizable preview pane in the second dedicated screen space; and allow the user to add another pane in the second dedicated screen space which includes the at least one second collection to be any web site that the user inputs through a text editable box in an add sidebar module, wherein the options presented to the user for customizing the second dedicated screen space and the separate pane further include using the editing settings link to relocate a sidebar within the second dedicated screen space. 